Project Dawnstars
by lovelyBRN13
Summary: A mysterious group of unicorns known as the Storytellers. A corrupted princess who can't help but destroy everything in her path. A pony so desperate to save the ones they hold dear to them to relive their lives over and over again to make everything right. They are all tied together by the Dawnstars Project, and it's the only thing to save them all. AU. M for violence later on.
1. Prologue

**Hello, and welcome to my first My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction, Project Dawnstars! This is the first part of two in the Project Dawnstars duo, and my first fanfiction that I'm posting here on , so the formatting's bound to be a little strange at first. In fact, I've already had formatting issues with this thing, and I have no clue what I'm doing. Hopefully these are fixed this time, and you can actually read it. If not, can somebody help me, please?**

**Well, hopefully, there's no problems with this, and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Prologue: The night rain's revenge against the sun**

The unicorn looked around outside cautiously, a cloak covering all but her hooves and muzzle. Nopony in sight. She quickly went inside, shutting all of the blinders and locking the door. She took out of the bag she was carrying a stack of parchment paper, a fountain pen, and a well of ink. She dipped the pen into the ink and began writing as fast as she could.

It was always a rush to her, this forbidden business. Writing whatever she wanted to happen, and trying not to get caught. She had been doing this for almost two years, and knew the punishment for being caught would be.

One of her good friends, after all, had been captured, but escaped and lived in hiding until he was found again. She didn't know what happened to him, and didn't want to find out, either. All she knew from him was to never, ever get caught.

It was merely redundant ringing in her ears since she started this.

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on her door. She looked up for a split second, but crawled under the table, which had a long white tablecloth draped overtop, hoping that her cloak disguised the glow coming from her horn. She hoped the tablecloth didn't give her away, either, if they were using light magic.

The pounding came again. The door was kicked open, and at least ten unicorns and pegasi donned in armour of the Royal Guard flooded the small house.

"Where are they?!" One of the pegasi shouted. "There's papers and broken pens everywhere, They must be around here somewhere!" He turned to one of the unicorns. "You! You sensed unicorn magic around here earlier, didn't you?"

"I'm sure I sensed unicorn magic around here somewhere..." One of the unicorn guards murmured, and closed his eyes, his horn glowing softly. He walked over to the table, where his horn grew brighter. He lifted the table with his magic.

The pegasus grinned when he saw the unicorn scribbling rapidly with her magic on the parchment. As the Royal Guard officer tried to grab her, she teleported to the doorway, where she turned and ran, the guards behind her, stumbling and slipping in the mud.

Suddenly, she turned around and tackled the guard right behind her. The other guards surrounded her, but she fought back, dodging their blows and running the opposite way, deeper into the town. The guards, of course, soon followed.

Looming ahead of her was her target: The clock tower, tall and mysterious, and on this starless and moonless rain streaked night, ominous and frightening. If she could get there, she would be safe.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she approached the clock tower, only to be knocked down by one of the pegasus guards. She fought him off, only to be held down again. She screamed for help and shook the guards off, but it still wasn't enough. She was attacked from the side, and her head hit the ground first, tinnitus setting in before black dots swam in front of her eyes, and she fell into unconsciousness.

She fell just a few steps from the clock tower that had silently watched everything unfold, and was struck by lightning, causing everything to crumble away in a bright flash of light.

It was just how she wrote it to be before she was captured.

* * *

The rain splashed against the marble and glass balcony, droplets scattering all about. Luna sighed, her breath coming out in ragged clouds. She looked up to the sky, which was filled with nothing but black. The clouds had rolled over Canterlot in the afternoon, but the sky didn't open up until dusk, forcing Luna to have to sense the moon in order to raise it into the sky.

She scanned the area, watching quietly. All was still, as usual. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Luna saw some slight movement. She called out, but stopped when she realized that it was Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's former student, now a princess herself. Celestia had invited Twilight back to Canterlot to attend a royal court meeting, and she and her dragon partner, Spike, didn't get there until late into the afternoon. When they arrived, everything was chaotic, and had to help until evening, and were given a light supper and sent into the bedchamber prepared for them to rest for the court meeting. Luna watched Twilight with a strange sort of intensity. She seemed to be in a sort of daze, as if under a spell. She sat down and leaned her front legs onto the edge of the balcony, looking out at something beyond the rain. A soft wind blew her mane back.

It made Luna's heart ache tremendously.

Luna also stared at the rain, letting the memories she always kept locked deep inside her permeate her thoughts. She didn't used to abhor the rain as much as she did, which was natural, considering the fact that water fell underneath one of the elements of the moon. She used to love the rain, and splash around in it in euphoria.

Luna shook her head. She couldn't stand those memories anymore. Besides, she had changed now. She was no longer the weak, feeble Luna who relied on her older sister Celestia for everything. No, that Luna was somepony else, somepony who no longer existed.

She was now Luna, the alicorn who raised the moon.

She would never let those memories stop her from being anything but that.

Ever.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle looked out at the falling rain. She got out of bed and opened her balcony doors, then sat down at the edge, leaning on her front legs.

"So, it has finally come to pass, has it?" She asked. She paused, as if listening to somepony's reply. "Yes, it is quite risky, doing this so soon. But, we honestly don't have a choice, do we?" Another pause. "The sun is becoming too powerful too soon. If we let this go on for too long, we'll be the ones banished, not her." Another pause, and Twilight picked up a small cup, about to take a sip from it, when she heard the sound of something stirring. She turned and saw Spike awake, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"You're awake." Twilight said.

"Twilight, who're you talkin' to?" Spike asked, still half asleep. "Are you alright?"

Twilight smiled and let out a small 'mii.' "I'm just talking to myself. Don't worry about me, Spike. Go back to sleep."

Spike nodded and lowered his head again, and was soon snoring softly. Twilight walked back inside, taking the cup with her. She closed the balcony doors and swirled the crimson liquid around softly.

"Yes, it has already been decided." Twilight said, taking a sip of her drink. "The sun has no choice but to die."


	2. Arc 1, Set 1, Chapter 1

**So, before we begin with the actual story, I have to explain a few things:**

**The way this story works is that it's very similar to the way the story in Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni worked. If anybody is unfamiliar with this anime, the way it was set up was that it was at first told like a normal story, until an event in which somebody died took place(There are people who die but is an exception to this), and the story reset, so the next episode would have similar aspects to what happened previously, but it was like it never happened.**

**If my poor explanation just made your head hurt, go watch the anime yourself and you'll understand what I'm trying to say. There's a dubbed and subbed version up until the second season, then it's only subbed, but you only need to watch the first season, unless you want to know what exactly is going on. Oh, but there's a lot of blood and gore in it, and a few scenes that I watched and felt uncomfortable watching because of that, but once you get past those parts, it's amazing.**

**Anyway, the way Project Dawnstars works is that there's a specific arc, in which a certain number of sets take place. The arcs don't repeat, but the sets do, and the arcs follow the main storyline, but change with a new set. So the events of Arc 1, Set 1 might not change Arc 2's course, but Arc 1, Set 2 might, even if there are more sets in between.**

**If you can't understand it, I'm sorry for making this so weird, and you'll see what I mean when we get to that part.**

**Well, I hope you enjoy anyway.**

**My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is not owned by me. It belongs to Lauren Faust, Hasbro, and DHX.**

* * *

**Beginning Arc  
****Set of Normalcy****  
****Chapter 1: The court meeting**

* * *

A soft knock on the door awoke Twilight the next morning. She rubbed her eyes with one hoof and instantly noticed that the bottle and cup from the night before were still on her dresser. She put them inside one of the dresser drawers and opened the door, revealing a still half-asleep Luna.

"Oh, Luna." Twilight greeted. "Are you here to pick me up for court?" She looked outside the window. "It's sunrise... Does court usually start this early?"

"It didn't, long ago..." Luna said softly. She smiled, then said, "Well, it does now, I suppose. As soon the sun is fully risen, court will start. Let's get over to the courtroom. We wouldn't want to be late, now, after all."

Twilight nodded and followed Luna to the courtroom, a beautiful pale sky blue tinted glass building in a separate area from the rest of the castle. Rich mahogany benches lined the sides, and a lush crimson red carpet covered the center leading up to four golden thrones, each one with one of the princesses' Cutie Marks at the top. Twilight instantly noticed that Celestia and Luna's thrones were higher than hers and Candence's.

"Go ahead and take your seat, Twilight. I'll be over in a few minutes." Luna said, then dipped her head low. "Oh, and Twilight, please don't go against my sister's wishes. She can be quite...fickle when it comes to this sort of thing." Twilight was about to ask her to explain what she meant, but Luna was already leaving. She sighed and decided to let the issue be.

Twilight sat alone, watching as more ponies started to come in. She saw Luna come back in and sat up a little straighter as she took her place beside her.

"It appears that Cadence will not be joining us again, as she has her own affairs at the Crystal Empire to take care of." Luna said to Twilight. "A shame, since you haven't talked properly with each other in quite a while." Twilight nodded. "Communication is key in any relationship. Sadly, it's not you who has yet to learn that, it's-"

Celestia entered the room, and everybody stood up, bowing their heads. When she sat down, so did everyone else. Twilight shivered inwardly. It seemed to her like the room's temperature had dropped a few degrees.

"Royal Court is now in session." Celestia said. "Please bring in the first plaintiff."

The two guards nodded and left. When they returned a few seconds later, a unicorn was with them, her mud covered hooves in shackles. Her tawny coat was matted, dull, and bruised, and her curly black mane and tail was also dull, as well as long; her tail trailed on the floor behind her, and her mane nearly reached her shoulders. Her cutie mark was of a tarnished parchment and an old red feather pen.

"What is she here for?" Celestia asked.

"We found her hiding in an abandoned house on the outskirts of a nearby town." One of the guards said. "She fought us off and ran over to an old clock tower that was in the center of town. We managed to capture her just as a bolt of lightning struck it."

"And what relevance does that detail of?" Luna asked.

"The clock tower is located in a shallow dip that collects rainwater." The unicorn said, her dark brown eyes filled with resentment. Her voice was strangely monotone, a touch of hoarseness added to it that made it oddly pleasing to listen to. "The clock tower itself is made of wood, but there's a gold plating on the exterior to protect it from woodrot. There was a storm last night, as well, wasn't there? I think you see my line of logic thus far, Your Majesties?" She bowed deeply.

"Yes, I see it." Celestia replied, trying her best to contain the anger in her voice. "You manipulated your own Story to attempt to kill the guards trying to capture you. Because of your appearance, Cutie Mark, and bravado, I could instantly tell that you were a Storyteller."

"My, my, Princess, I didn't know that you could be that clever at such deductions." The unicorn smirked and began to laugh. "Excellent deduction skills."

"Storyteller? I'm not familiar with that term to describe a unicorn..." Twilight muttered. "I wonder what it means... Luna? Luna, are you alright?"

Luna stared straight ahead, her eyes unfocused and shaking. She looked as if she was seeing a terrible vision, or reliving a painful memory.

"Do not humour me, Storyteller." Celestia dryly said. "You do realize what the charges are against you, correct?"

The Storyteller was silent.

"Normally, you would've been just imprisoned in the salt mines for life, but your fierce bravado and quick tounge has made me change my mind. Highest penalty."

The watching ponies began whispering to each other in shock. Celestia slammed down the gavel next to her.

"What say you, Sister?" Celestia asked, turning to Luna. Luna looked shocked for a moment, then nodded.

"Seconded." Luna said coolly, her voice slightly wavering. "Twilight Sparkle, what say you? Shall she receive the highest penalty for her treacherous crime?"

Twilight looked unsure, but she glanced at their faces, and noticed how uncomfortable they looked, as if they knew she was going to make a counter argument.

She didn't say anything, just nodded.

"Very well." Celestia said. "Storyteller, the price for your crime most audacious is the highest penalty-immediate execution. Guards..."

Twilight shrank back in her seat, bile rising in her throat. If she had known that the penalty was execution, then she would've presented a rebuttal right away.

"W-wait!" Twilight found herself shouting. "I present a counter arguement for the defence of this unicorn!"

_No, Twilight__._ Luna's voice said in her head. _It's far too late for that. A Storyteller is a being of great magic and evil. They must be contained like this...there is no hope for her now. Her life has already begun to end._

_But...but that's not fair!_ Twilight replied. _ Why...why can't I stop this...?_

Luna was silent.

Three guards came into the courtroom, one of them holding a pickaxe in their mouth.

"Wait." The Storyteller said. "If anybody is going to kill me, I prefer it to be Twilight."

Everypony in the room was silent. Never before had a death row pony have a specific request on who to kill them.

The Storyteller grinned. "After all, hasn't every other princess already have blood on their hooves? Celestia most of all... Don't you agree, everypony, that Celestia might actually have too much...?"

Celestia and Luna looked at each other, then nodded. Luna glanced over at Twilight, who got up and took the pickaxe from the guard. She walked unsteadily to the Storyteller, feeling as if she was not in control of her actions.

"Go ahead." She said. "I'm not afraid. I'm ready to do this." However, the Storyteller suddenly stood up and dipped her head politely before saying loudly, "Everypony gathered, heed my words, for they shall be my last: A calamity shall soon strike Equestria. A calamity that happens once every thousand years. A series of deaths of several ponies once a moon for ten years."

Many ponies gasped when they heard those words. Celestia straightened, her jaw tightly clenched.

The Storyteller continued calmly. "This calamity shall seize Equestria in its tight jaws, and cause everything to crumble. However, there is a way to reverse this before it happens."

Somepony in the crowd shouted, "How do we stop the calamity?"

Somepony else called out, "Yes, Storyteller, tell us!"

"Tell us how to stop the calamity!"

"Tell us, Storyteller, tell us!"

The Storyteller rose up on her hind legs, then came crashing down, putting all of her weight on her front hooves. The courtroom was completely silent.

Then, six simple words filled the air.

"Send the dead back to death." The Storyteller smiled again. "That's how you stop the calamity. One pony in Equestria is not supposed to exist currently, because they have already died before. If you kill that pony during the very beginning of the calamity, the calamity will end, without many ponies suffering. The calamity will still end even if you kill that pony later on, it's just more suffering for everypony."

"But...but how do we find this dead pony?"

"Yes, how do we know who's dead and who's alive?"

The Storyteller nodded. "Well, that's the problem, isn't it? You see, there is no way to tell who's dead and who's alive. The dead pony and anypony who's afilated with them...their memories are altered. They would swear on their life that they're alive, but they have no clue if they truly are or not..." She grinned and tossed her hair out of her eyes. "All you have to do is wait for the starting death. Oh, and one more thing: The number of deaths change from moon to moon, and the time varies, as well. So, there's no way to prevent the timing of the deaths."

"Who's the first pony to die?" Somepony asked.

Silence filled the courtroom. Then, the Storyteller replied with a single word.

"...Me."

The courtroom burst into chaos. Many were shouting at Celestia to not kill the Storyteller, others were rushing down to the Storyteller to protect her. The Royal Guard ran to stop the rioting ponies from leaving, pushing them back forcefully.

Suddenly, it felt like several strings were all around Twilight's body. She walked over to the Storyteller, pickaxe still in her possesion. She rose up on her hind legs, swung the pickaxe upside down, and drove it into the Storyteller's throat. Blood splashed onto her pelt and muzzle, some getting into her mouth, wide open in a wild scream. The Storyteller fell backwards, the pickaxe still lodged in her throat. The pristine white floor turned crimson as her blood spilled out. She twitched a few times, then was still, her eyes wide open, lying in a large pool of blood.

Twilight stood still, then, numbly, tried to go back to her throne, but it felt like every step was more and more of an effort. Her legs felt weak and gave way, and she collapsed, letting the dizzying images in front of grow hazier, then fade to black, like old film.


End file.
